US-based Kiwi Claudia Batten will openly admit she is digitally obsessed. From her roots in commercial law, she has been a founding member of two highly successful entrepreneurial ventures. As part of the founding team of Massive Incorporated, a network for advertising in video games, she helped pioneer “digital” as a media buy. Massive was sold to Microsoft in 2006, where Claudia then spent 3 years scaling the in-game network. In 2009 she co-founded Victors & Spoils, the first advertising agency built on the principles of crowdsourcing. After two years in market, V&S was majority acquired by French holding company Havas Worldwide.

Claudia recently cofounded Broadli with Ale Lariu and Mary Abraham to redefine how we use digital connectivity to power networking. Broadli can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/broadli

Claudia graduated from Victoria University of Wellington in 1998 with degrees in Law (Hons) and Commerce. At Russell McVeagh she specialized in contract, IP, and technology law before moving to New York in 2002. She became the youngest person appointed to the New Zealand Government’s Trade and Exchange US Beachheads Board in 2007.

Claudia has achieved great success in the US market, but remains a strong supporter of the New Zealand start up scene. She participates regularly across the ecosystem on boards, advisory groups and as a very active mentor. In 2013, she was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award from Victoria University in recognition of her commitment to New Zealand and her achievements in tech. In 2014 she was the youngest ever recipient of the World Class New Zealand Supreme award in honor of her dedication and drive in support of New Zealand entrepreneurs.

She embraces a feminine approach to business, bringing to the table intuition, a focus on team, and a drive for results. Claudia is a passionate advocate for what she calls the Squiggly Line, the often uncomfortable path to achieving exceptional outcomes. She is a believer in taking big leaps and having bad days all in the name of making the impossible possible. As Claudia likes to reference, she’s built a few planes while flying them.

She is a regular speaker on the future of marketing, the impact of connectivity, and on building businesses of the future. Batten’s experience has informed her business savvy, while her appetite for new challenges, unerring sense of timing and intuitive handle on the pulse of the industry guarantee that she will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Check out her blog: Stilettos in the Boardroom and The Squiggly Line